Wax polish

ABSTRACT

A wax polish comprises a wax, e.g. beeswax, turpentine and/or white spirit, and alum. The polish may also comprise a vegetable or mineral oil, acetic acid, resin and/or blue stone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Existing wax polishes usually comprise beeswax and turpentine or whitespirit, in some cases with the addition of a small amount of aceticacid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide an improved wax polish.

According to the present invention there is provided a wax polishcomprising a wax, turpentine and/or white spirit, and alum.

As is known alum is a compound which is one of a large number ofisomorphous compounds of general formula:

    R.sup.1 R.sup.111 (SO.sub.4).sub.2.12H.sub.2 O or R.sub.2.sup.1 SO.sub.4.R.sub.2.sup.111 (SO.sub.4).sub.3.24H.sub.2 O

where R¹ represents potassium, sodium, ammonium, rubidium, caesium,silver, thallium and R¹¹¹ represents aluminium, iron, chromium,manganese, thallium. The preferred alum is potassium aluminium sulphate,also known as alum potash sulphate.

The wax is preferably beeswax. The polish preferably also comprises avegetable oil, e.g. cedar oil or teak oil, or a mineral oil, e.g. whiteoil; it is believed that such an oil enhances the effect of the alum.The polish may also comprise acetic acid. Preferred embodiments alsocomprise resin and/or blue stone.

A wax composition comprising finely-ground aluminium sulphate isdisclosed in British Patent 1362080. However, the composition is fibrousand is for improving the water repellant properties of board;accordingly the composition is not employable as a polish.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way ofexample only. A first preferred formula is as follows, the percentagesbeing by weight:

    ______________________________________                                        EXAMPLE 1                                                                     ______________________________________                                        1. Pure Turpentine                                                                              66%                                                         2. Pure Beeswax   25%                                                         3. Alum           5%                                                          4. Resin          2%                                                          5. Acetic Acid    1%                                                          6. White Oil      0.5%                                                        7. Blue Stone     0.5%                                                                          100%                                                        ______________________________________                                    

It is not essential that the turpentine and beeswax are pure, but thisis preferred. The composition may vary within the following ranges:

1. Turpentine 53%-77%

2. Beeswax 20%-30%

3. Alum 3%-10%

4. Resin 0%-3%

5. Acetic Acid 0%-1%

6. White Oil 0%-2%

7. Blue Stone 0%-1%

A second preferred formula is:

    ______________________________________                                        EXAMPLE 2                                                                     ______________________________________                                        1. Pure Turpentine                                                                               69%                                                        2. Pure Beeswax    25%                                                        3. Alum             5%                                                        4. White Oil      0.5%                                                        5. Acetic Acid    0.5%                                                                          100%                                                        ______________________________________                                    

The composition may vary within the following ranges:

1. Turpentine 57%-77%

2. Beeswax 20%-30%

3. Alum 3%-10%

4. White Oil 0%-2%

5. Acetic Acid 0%-1%

The above compositions have a number of advantages. They are particularadvantageous for use in restoring antique furniture. Instead of the longand messy procedure of french polishing followed by the application of aconventional wax polish, a quick single application of one of the abovedescribed compositions is sufficient to provide an excellent patina. Auniform result without smears is obtained and the grain is shown in aparticularly attractive manner. The above compositions have nounpleasant smell, in fact little smell at all. They are easy to applyand are not readily absorbed by the wood, as with some existingpolishes.

The polish may be used for all normal purposes. It can be used on alltypes of furniture and may incorporate a suitable colorant, usuallyblack or brown to hide crevices. Additionally it has proved to be mosteffective for use on marble, tiles, paintwork (especially for removingembedded dust) chrome articles and for polishing the bodywork of motorvehicles.

The compositions may be provided with a suitable scent if required. Anysuitable wax may be used instead of, or in addition to beeswax in whichcase the total weight of wax corresponds to the weight of beeswax givenin the above examples. Similarly white spirit may wholly or partlyreplace the turpentine and vinegar may wholly or partly replace theacetic acid.

It will be understood that the above description of the presentinvention is susceptible to various modifications, changes andadaptations.

What is claimed is:
 1. A composition for use as a wax polish consistingessentially of the following: wax (20-30 parts by weight), turpentine,white spirit or mixture thereof (53 to 77 parts by weight), and alum (3to 10 parts by weight).
 2. A polish according to claim 1, wherein thewax comprises beeswax.
 3. A polish according to claim 1, wherein the waxpolish further comprises a vegetable or mineral oil.
 4. A polishaccording to claim 1 further comprising acetic acid.
 5. A polishaccording to claim 1 further comprising resin material.
 6. A polishaccording to claim 1 further comprising blue stone.
 7. A composition foruse as a wax polish comprising the following percentages, byweight:Turpentine or white spirit or mixtures thereof: 53%-77% Wax:20%-30% Alum: 3%-10% Resin: 0%-3% Acetic Acid or vinegar or mixturesthereof: 0%-1% White Oil: 0%-2% Blue Stone: 0%-1%
 8. A compositionaccording to claim 7 wherein the wax is beeswax.